Irrelevant Result?

By Gary Watton August 6 2017

If the FA Cup was a scintillating spectacle, then the Community Shield was a damp squib by comparison. Still, it's always difficult to take the football season's curtain opener too seriously, and it rarely proves to be an accurate barometer of the credentials of either protagonist. In the event, Arsenil did manage to eke out a late equaliser which facilitated the first penalty shootout in England using the 'Abba' formula. Not for the first time it was Chelsea who were distinctly out of tune in the spot kicks spotlight. If Gary Cahill was a slightly surprising choice as first taker, then Tibo Courtois going next seemed bizarre, a perception that was fully vindicated by an awful miss. Next came newbie Alvaro Morata who did nothing to boost his own confidence when he too couldn't even shoot on target and work the goalkeeper.

Earlier Victor Moses had slotted home from close range after reacting quickest to a Cahill header from a poor Arsenic clearance. However the afternoon turned sour for Conte's champions when Pedro was sent off for an ugly tackle and the Gunners duly scored from the subsequent free kick. In truth, Chelsea were far from convincing (itself a metaphor for the club's summer transfer dealings). The team look like they might or indeed will carve out a number of 1-0 wins in due course, but there was scant evidence of a team likely to outplay everyone and sweep all before them. Small wonder that Conte looks far from amused and that many supporters are equally uneasy about the squad's lack of reinforcements which could trigger a repeat of the underwhelming season of two years ago.

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